Led by Plantlife, the partnership is made up of eleven organisations and is primarily funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Cotswolds Conservation Board

The Cotswolds Conservation Board (CCB) is focusing on restoring flower-rich limestone grasslands in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty along the Cotswold scarp and river valleys. CCB are working with landowners, local communities and the wider public to restore low quality and former wildflower-rich grasslands that often surround and connect existing grassland sites. They are also running a Meadow Champions Scheme and many events.

Medway Valley Countryside Partnership

Medway Valley Countryside Partnership is supporting landowners to manage, restore and create meadows. They are also helping local communities recognise the value of meadows by creating a supportive network of Meadow Champions and running a range of meadow based activity days and school workshops.

For more information about Save Our Magnificent Meadows in the Medway Valley contact Mary Tate at mary.tate@kent.gov.uk or 03000 414833.

National Trust Wales

The National Trust is safeguarding Ceredigion’s meadows and returning areas to wildlife, so providing homes for flowers, bees and butterflies, which will become fantastic outdoor classrooms for future generations. As well as this conservation work, the National Trust is offering a range of meadows based days out.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is enhancing, studying and celebrating two of Northumberland’s most sensitive and scarce grasslands, whin and calaminarian, home to some of the UK’s rarest plants. These habitats deserve more attention and a programme of events and school visits will ensure this happens.

For more information about Save Our Magnificent Meadows in Northumberland contact Naomi Waite at naomi.waite@northwt.org.uk or 0191 284 6884.

Plantlife

Plantlife is the lead partner of Save Our Magnificent Meadows and is managing the project - co-ordinating activities across the partnership to ensure that the project really does transform the fortunes of our vanishing wildflower meadows, grasslands and the wildlife associated with them. Plantlife is leading on the delivery of the project's ambitious range of national activities including National Meadows Day (which will be on 4th July this year), a Meadows and Grasslands Award Scheme and an Art and Photography Competition. Also, the creation of a Meadows Map and a national grasslands inventory. To help schools and families discover their local meadows, a host of meadow-based online resources are available and a programme of workshops will be delivered to primary schools across the country.

For more information about Plantlife's role in Save Our Magnificent Meadows contact Fiona Perez at fiona.perez@plantlife.org.uk or 01722 342757.

RSPB

The RSPB is working on Save Our Magnificent Meadows in two areas – Scotland and Wiltshire.

RSPB Scotland is restoring fen meadow at their Loch of Strathbeg Reserve in the north east of Scotland, which has been unmanaged since the 1960s and is now dominated by soft rush. The meadow is being restored by removing the rush with follow-up grazing by Konik ponies. Local primary schools are visiting the site to learn more about meadows and throughout the project there will be diverse events such as guided walks, a Doric poetry competition (Doric is the local language) and a celebration evening.

In Wiltshire, the RSPB is creating floristic stepping stones between the two largest remaining areas of chalk grassland in the UK – Salisbury Plain and Porton Down. Over 300ha of recreated grasslands will be enhanced and volunteers will be involved collecting seed, planting wildflower plugs, looking after butterfly landforms and monitoring the wildlife. People can enjoy the grasslands with guided walks, interpretation boards, a nature trail leaflet and a fun-packed celebration event.

Scottish Wildlife Trust

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is concentrating on the grasslands of West Lothian, Falkirk, Edinburgh and Fife by bringing more sustainable management to these grasslands. During the lifetime of the project, there will be many guided walks and open days for people to learn more about grazing management, or to volunteer to help look after the grazing animals or monitor the grasslands.

Somerset Wildlife Trust

Somerset Wildlife Trust is conserving the wildflower grasslands of the Mendips and has developed an exciting programme of work with local communities and school children focused on the fabulous grassland nature reserves.Activities will include interpretation and guided walks, landscape walks, conservation days and a parish meadows project.

Ulster Wildlife

Ulster Wildlife is restoring grasslands throughout Fermanagh and Tyrone, raising awareness of their importance and supporting local communities and landowners in their management. The project will help conserve colonies of endangered marsh fritillary and is creating new habitats for other priority species such as skylarks and narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth. It will also create meadows in schools, explore and develop the links of local meadows to local culture and folklore within communities and support landowners in overcoming obstacles in meadow management.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is organising family events, education visits and demonstration days across the county. Volunteers can support the project by taking part in practical tasks and by surveying and monitoring plants, insects and other wildlife. At Blakehill Farm nature reserve an education area will be created as well as biodiversity features ranging from butterfly banks to reptile hibernacula.

For more information about Save Our Magnificent Meadows in Wiltshire contact Sue Sawyer at sues@wiltshirewildlife.org or 07736 457648